Different School Models
Field: Education
Part One: There is a range of school models that exist within our school communities, all of which have the goal of helping students achieve their potential. You will need to interview two teachers, principals, or teaching support staff members from two different schools to complete this assignment. Although it is not necessary, you should try to visit each site. Each school must be a different school model as discussed in the readings. Compare and contrast the two schools based on what you learn from your visits and/or interviews. The goal is to analyze the two different school models, compare the type of teaching and learning that occurs within each, understand what each school has identified as a priority, and understand what each school or classroom has determined is the top issue(s). In addition to identifying key statistics, such as the type of school, demographics, and student-to-teacher ratio, use the following questions as a guide for your observation/interview: The two teachers already answer the question below for you.
a. What are the most important issues you currently face in ensuring all students achieve their potential?
b. How are you addressing these issues?
c. What role does technology play in classrooms to support teaching and learning?
d. If you had to choose one subject area that your students need the most support in mastering, what would it be?
e. What do you see as the most important skills to be taught?
f. How would you identify 21st-century skills?
g. How would you describe the teaching in your classroom?
h. What role do you see students having in the teaching and learning process? Teachers?
i. How has teaching changed over the years?
j. What are the key issues you currently face?
Part Two: Place the information you glean from your interviews in a chart similar to the one below. This project is designed to give you insights into the real-life issues, topics, and complexities that practitioners address daily while also providing a forum for you to reflect on your beliefs and practices. Once the chart is complete, you should include a two- to three-page summary, identifying the implications of what you gleaned from your research on your own practice. Questions to consider in your summary are: I answer the question below for you, but you can fix it or make it sound better
a. What did you learn from the visits? The Teacher were very nice, and their classroom was well organized.
b. What are the implications for your own teaching and learning? Your philosophy of education? If I was a teacher I would Help students to regard their understanding as provisional and to tolerate uncertainty. Students must learn ‘incomplete’ conceptions to make more ‘complete’ conceptions accessible to them and be happy to move on. Since the acquisition of threshold concepts transforms understanding of previously acquired subject knowledge, students need to be ready to accept that at each stage in their learning their understanding is provisional. This problem becomes most intense when the acquisition of a new threshold concept transforms understanding of a previously acquired threshold concept: an inevitable outcome if threshold concepts work together in a web to define the way of thinking and practicing in a subject.
c. What areas of new knowledge do you plan to explore? Research and Theory
d. How was your thinking different or similar?
e. How would you address some of the issues in your classroom? If I was a teacher Make Rules Clear. If there are rules in society, there are rules at school and in the classroom. Kids need to know what is expected of them and how the classroom will be organized. Teaching them the rules is just as important as teaching anything else. One option is to make a set of rules yourself and share them with the class on the first day. You can ask them what they think of the rules and why they believe these rules are important. With older kids, you might want to try a more democratic approach. If rules come from them and as a group, accepting those rules will come more naturally because they’ll feel like part of the process.
f. How would you prioritize the work in these classrooms if you were the teacher? By using time management. Pull out all materials needed for a lesson the day before and keep them together in a tote. Make transparencies for all directions to activities. Assign a student assistant to help pass out papers and materials. Place all materials that need to go to the office in one container, so you only make one trip. Use apps to help your grading go faster. Create a bulletin board for roll call and lunch count that students can complete themselves. Divide paperwork into categories: To do, to read, to hold, to grade, etc.
g. What role could technology play in assisting with the work? My son is in 5th grade and he do a lot of research paper. So, he uses the computer a lot. My daughter uses the computer for sorry time and math. Both my kids find it very helpful and fun.
h. Reflect on the ISTE Standards for Teachers (http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf). you reviewed last week and share any insights related to your research.
School A
School B
Differences/Similarities identified between schools. Points to consider.
Type of School
solomon elementary
Daniel K. Inouye Elementary
Total Population/ Demographics
White:38.6%
Hispanic:29.5%
African American:15.7%
White:47.6%
Hispanic:22.6%
African American:12.8%
Student to Teacher Ratio
Student/teacher ratio: 15.6
Student/teacher ratio: 13.7
Key Issues Facing
Making sure all students learning needs are met and implementing a variety of resources in the classroom without having all the resources needed in the classroom. I hope this helps. Have a
good night, and thanks again for all that you signed up for on the gingerbread house activity.
The biggest issue I face as a teacher, would be the time-consuming tasks the state wants me to do as a teacher. We have a lot of mandates and trainings that I am out of the classroom a lot. Being away from my students and sitting through meetings and trainings are hard because that is lost time I have with working with students.
Role of Technology
I-ready, Lexia, and Star are computer programs used to help collect data and monitor the individual needs for students.
Google classrooms and drive to have my students submit their written responses and writing essays.
21st Century Skills
Inquire, think critically, and gain
knowledge
21st century skills entail typing, researching, collaborating, working together, problem solving, and critical thinking.
…….
Please support your claims and assertions with the literature and information from the interview. For your references, you should use the course textbook, the videos, and resources for this week, as well as at least two peer-reviewed articles from the Ashford University Library. This assignment should be three pages in length plus a title page and reference page. Be sure to also save a copy of your assignment for your Final Project and for future professional development.
http://www.solomonelementary.org
http://www.inouye.k12.hi.us
First Teacher Ms. Harris
solomon elementary
a.
Differentiation for all the students in the classroom, and student’s motivation to always try their best and never give up at school and home.
b.
Modifying and reflecting on my instruction, and trying to
get continued support at home.
c.
Iready. Lexia, and Star are computer programs used to help collect data and monitor the individual needs for students.
d.
All academics are fundamentally important in Kindergartens curriculum. It is the foundation for
continued success in upper grades.
e.
In Kindergarten we are not only teaching academics, but we are trying to teach individual children to be independent and use communication skills to help with a better understanding of everyday life
skills. It is important that students are getting Math and Language Arts, but they also need to be engaged in science, social studies topics, and social skill interactions.
f.
21st century skills allow students to:
Inquire, think critically, and gain
knowledge
Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply
knowledge to new situations, and create new
knowledge.
Share knowledge and participate ethically and
productively as members of our democratic
society.
Pursue personal and aesthetic growth
g.
Our class knows that we are a community and that within that community we work together. Within our community each student reasoning and opinions matter. Students should feel comfortable in the classroom, and know that I will do my best in getting to know each individual student along with gaining trust from each student. All students are always given an equal opportunity at learning, because I adapt the instruction for each of their academic needs.
h.
Students are active learners and share their thinking with the class during whole group. Students
ask questions and continue to support their peers with collaborative conversations.
I.
Common Core Standards are pushed in each grade level with many different forms of testing. Kindergarten is now more focused on academics and meeting standards to get students academically
prepared for future grades.
j.
Making sure all students learning needs are met and implementing a variety of resources in the classroom without having all the resources needed in the classroom. I hope this helps. Have a
good night, and thanks again for all that you signed up for on the gingerbread house activity.
eacher number two Ms. Kumashiro
Daniel K. Inouye Elementary
1. What are the most important issues you currently face in ensuring all students achieve their potential?
a. The most important issue I that I face to ensure all students achieve their potential is that I need to make sure students are meeting standards. Students all learn differently which make them unique, however they all need to learn and be proficient with the same standard. In order to make sure students are achieving their potential, I need to make sure I provide modifications and differentiate for each learner. Although a student might be making progress, he/she may not necessarily making substantial progress to meet the standards. The most important issue I face is differentiating lessons for all of my students.
2. How are you addressing these issues?
a. I am addressing the issue of differentiating lessons by providing students with the skills they need more practice with. I work with students either one on one or in small group settings so they can more guided instruction and I can work with them on different skills they may need. For reading, Solomon Elementary has STAR reading diagnostic testing which is a diagnostic assessment we give student to see the skills they need. We then use Lexia (an online reading program) that is geared around independent student needs, so Lexia provides support to students at their level and at their particular skills they need to improve with. I also use STAR and Lexia to help me with lessons for each learner. I work with my students in small group or one on one on the skills they need to help them be successful.
3. What role does technology play in the classroom to support teaching and learning?
a. Technology plays a big role in the classroom. Nowadays, students come to school with a lot of technology knowledge so we as teachers need to embrace this and use technology as an advantage. My class is a 1:1 classroom, meaning that each student has access to a chromebook laptop to use in class. This means that all students are able to get on the computer at once, all students are able to complete assignments online, and this means that all students get the opportunity to be 21st century learners. Many of our school programs are also technology based and students need to go onto the computer to receive lessons. I also use Google classrooms and drive to have my students submit their written responses and writing essays.
4. If you had to choose one subject area that your students need the most support in mastering, what would it be?
a. If I had to choose one subject area that my students needed the most support in, I would choose writing. I feel writing is the subject area my students need the most support because it often is not the subject area most taught on. Teachers often do not teach students how to write or what good writing should sound like. I feel my students have great ideas, however, they do not know how to apply those ideas and get their ideas out on paper for another audience member to read. Most of my student’s writing pieces sound exactly how they talk and when writing, they forget to include voice and details to enhance their stories. Most times, their writing is very choppy. This is also due to the English language and how grammar is necessary when writing and speaking. Getting students to elaborate on ideas is also a challenge.
5. What do you see as the most important skill to be taught?
a. The most important skills that students need is the understanding of how to be a good citizen, make good choices, and to be respectful. With out these key things, students are not going to be successful. Students need to be respectful of themselves, their classmates, surroundings, and elders in order to be humble. They need to understand that being good and making goo choices is important in life as their choices come with consequences.
6. How would you identify 21st century skills?
a. 21st century skills are skills students need to be successful currently in today’s world. 21st century skills entail typing, researching, collaborating, working together, problem solving, and critical thinking. These skills are skills needed for the future so students can work with others, problem solve problems to think critically, In order to solve problems, students need to also listen to others and collaborate with them while working as a functional team.
7. How would you describe the teaching in your classroom?
a. I would describe the teaching in my classroom as a very positive yet chaotic mess. I feel that I have a great classroom environment where students know how to treat others. I also feel that my classroom is chaotic because I allow students to talk and work together with their peers. My students feel safe in my class so I know I have an environment where students feel successful and are friends with all students.
8. What role do you see students having in the teaching and learning process?
a. I feel that students have a lot of say in regards to the learning process. My students and I create our success criteria together, and I really try to get my students involved with their learning by providing them with different choices. I feel that when students take ownership of things they are much more eager to learn.
9. How has teaching changed over the years?
a. Teaching has changed over the years by a lot. Teaching is not fun and games anymore. Teachers cannot do things just because they feel their students are having fun. Of course this was teaching when I was a little girl. In my 9 short years of teaching, I feel that teaching has changed as we are so data driven. Everything is based on data and how students are progressing. Instead of teachers doing what they do best, we are forced to use programs and follow state mandates. We collect data on all of these initiatives and need to make sure students are showing growth. Since teachers are required to show student growth each year, we often forget to have fun with teaching, and I feel teaching has become more forced, where teachers do not have autonomy of how to teach their students but it is more of a must do and must follow.
10. What are the key issues you currently face?
a. The biggest issue I face as a teacher, would be the time consuming tasks the state wants me to do as a teacher. We have a lot of mandates and trainings that I am out of the classroom a lot. Being away from my students and sitting through meetings and trainings are hard because that is lost time I have with working with students.
